Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility while taking erythromycin

Erythromycin and pregnancy

Erythromycin is generally thought to be OK to take during pregnancy. It will often be prescribed if your waters break early, to reduce the risk of infection and going into labour early.

During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, other antibiotics may be more suitable for you, but this does depend on the type of infection. Talk to your doctor about taking erythromycin as it should only be taken if the benefits outweigh the possible risks.

Ertythromycin and breastfeeding

If your doctor or health visitor says that your baby is healthy, it's OK to take erythromycin while breastfeeding.

Erythromycin passes into breast milk in very small amounts and is unlikely to cause any effects in your baby. However, it has caused some babies to become drowsy and have mild stomach upsets.

When used as a skin treatment, it is unlikely that any erythromycin will get into your breast milk. Be careful that your baby does not come into contact with the areas of your body you have put it on. Wash your hands after you have applied the skin treatment and before picking up your baby.

Contact your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible if:

• your baby is not feeding as well as usual or seems very unsettled after feeding
• your baby has a rash
• your baby is unusually sleepy
• your baby has an upset stomach
• your baby has oral thrush (a fungal infection in their mouth)
• you have any other concerns about your baby

Erythromycin and fertility

There's no evidence to suggest that taking erythromycin reduces fertility in either men or women.